a day in an artists life....: i do believe i am now truly a mountain girl...

it was years and years ago when i moved to the mountains from the fast paced life of dallas....i remember after arriving driving through major cities to chicago and down to florida, back and forth to the airport in charlotte...i didn't think anything of it...when i was at the airport i remember looking at the people walking by and thinking they are from 'the mountain'; for they looked different...usually wearing warmer clothes than what was necessary, or birkenstocks WITH socks, really a more laid back look than city people...

years later i find myself somewhat bundled up in my car going down the mountain, stripping off layers as i go, and switching to birkenstocks without socks...for it is always at least 10 degrees warmer just 30 miles away...as of yesterday i have to admit that over these years i am now a mountain girl, no doubt about it...and very happy to be moving at a slow pace, dressed 'funny' and at peace...

if you read yesterdays blog you will know that i had high hopes for going up and down the mountain - to be inspired by all of these wonderful colors....

i had to head out way early morning - before sunup....now i do like to be up that early to watch the sunrise from my warm and toasty home...but i'm blind as a bat when it comes to driving in the dark... so off i go, barely awake to head out in the dark...and dark it was down the mountain for a long long time...

as luck would have it the sun was coming up just about the time when i had to hop onto the interstate...being that i NEVER leave the mountain, that is terrifying all in itself...i just cannot believe the speed limits are a million miles per hour, everyone zipping here and there, and it's barely sunup....i kept repeating to myself, just another hour to go and i will be there...just another hour to go and i will be there....

finally after i arrived - purely terrorized by the flatland city drivers, (yes, that is what we call them, flatlanders)...i found my calm again...i kind of felt like i was maybe getting into the groove of the old me, the old city girl that i was so long ago...the one who at the drop of a hat would leave from one coast to another, with no map in hand...the confident, don't you dare kind of girl....

i decided to take a different way back - got lost of course, but only once, and stopped and asked a shocked looking woman how to get up the mountain (it took her some time to respond through her shock; evidently not that many people pull over strangers down the mountain)...

i was going along minding my own business and believe me speed limit, when the state trooper pulled me over....did you know that my inspection sticker AND registration stickers were expired? - neither did i until then...but i felt proud that i was able to give the officer an official looking paper with my approved temporary driver's license thingy on it...i think maybe he was impressed that i had something 'legal' on my vehicle, but still a $135 ticket...

now i will say he was very sweet, and all of 20 i think (everyone looks young to me anymore), and he told me before he went to write me a ticket that he would be back to tell me what i can do to have it waived...which was - i have 30 days to go and fix these problems that i seem to be having and come back DOWN the mountain to their courthouse and show them that i had indeed accomplished these things and they will waive the charges...i asked him if somebody could go for me (knowing I WILL NEVER LEAVE THE MOUNTAIN TOP AGAIN, ONCE I'M HOME...) he said, well yes, perhaps, but that it would be better if i came down in case there were any more problems....(do you think he was getting a feeling that perhaps there would be more problems, like getting lost, or my forgetting something?)

well as life has it, my oldest looks at me and states clearly - i think this is the first time you've gotten a ticket while i was in the car....he doesn't remember NEVADA, thank goodness...nor that one morning on the way to the 7th grade...phewwww....

well all i can say is that at least i have 30 days to get up the nerve to head down the mountain again...and after that, i will never leave home again...